Posted on 12/25/2010 6:22:49 AM PST by csvset
WILLIAMSBURG
Karen Martin was having a bad year. She had broken up with her boyfriend, money was tight, and then her dog went missing.
Willis, a 6-year-old clumber spaniel, disappeared from her Portsmouth backyard Dec. 21, 2009.
"Last Christmas was terrible," said Martin, an operating systems programmer for the city of Chesapeake. "I was so distraught."
It took almost a year, but Willis came home - thanks to the kindness of strangers and the extensive networking among humane societies and rescue groups.
"It's amazing," said Martin, who now lives in Williamsburg. "My chances of getting my dog back after so long were slim. "
Martin thinks Willis was stolen. Her neighborhood was experiencing a rash of pedigree dog thefts at the time.
"A clumber spaniel is a very rare, expensive dog," she explained.
Clumbers are huge spaniels with heavy bone structure, usually weighing between 55 and 85 pounds. Their thick coats are usually white with brown or orange markings around the eyes and the base of the tail.
Martin think s that after realizing Willis was neutered and no good for breeding, the thief or thieves simply let him go.
She sent out photos of Willis and contacted the network of dog rescue groups and local humane societies. These organizations all regularly contact one another and visit kill shelters looking for purebred dogs to save.
Martin also created a Facebook page looking for help. She said she received numerous dead ends and false sightings throughout the year.
By coincidence, Terry Walker, a Maryland resident and a member of a cocker rescue group, went to a shelter looking for a dog to adopt. Her longtime pet was dying.
"She needed something uplifting, so she went to the Tri-County Shelter, not far from where she lived," Martin said.
"She spotted a very sick clumber spaniel, a good part of his coat eaten up with fleas, who was on an 'at-risk' list, meaning he was to be euthanized soon. She recognized the breed, took a photo, and sent it to all the rescue people she knew."
That photo was spotted by Sally Day, a friend of Martin's who lives in Bucks County, Pa. She thought the pooch could be Willis. She contacted Martin by e-mail with a photo of the dog.
"When I saw the markings, I thought, 'Could this be my boy?' It did look like him, but I needed to look at additional photos of his head and ears, so I called the shelter the next day," she said. "They sent more, and as soon as I saw them, I knew it was my boy."
Willis had been found Nov. 20 in Charles County, Md., and sent to the Tri-County Animal Shelter in Hughesville.
Kim Stephens, shelter supervisor, said this contact between humane societies and animal rescue groups is effective in saving stray pure-breeds.
"They all network to get more animals out alive; we are a kill shelter, but we try to do everything we can to get them out alive," Stephens said. " Willis was on our at-risk list, so we sent out the information to about 10 humane societies in the area, and they sent the information to 20 more groups. Karen did all the right things in getting her information out. They were able to use that and spot her dog."
Two members of the Clumber Spaniel Club of America fetched Willis and kept him at their home.
"I'm a total stranger to them, but they went out of their way to get involved and help," Martin said.
Willis is now recovering. His coat is growing back, and he's at 80 pounds.
"I felt joy for the first time in a very long time," Martin said. "This reaffirmed my faith in people. Not only was my dog saved, but so was I."
Eric Feber, (757) 222-5203, eric.feber@pilotonline.com
DOG'S BACK! YAY!
Awwwwwwwwwwwww. What a wonderful story. Clumbers are sweet dogs.
What a great story. That poor dog might have died had she not contacted so many people. Rescue groupes (and their foster homes) are filled with angels. I swear, they have the biggest hearts.
those are 2 gorgeous doggies!
Kudos to all who helped make that little reunion possible!
Very happy for her and her doggy.
Probably 20 years ago, before we got our mastiff, we had a dog stolen, 1/2 St. Bernard, 1/2 Rottie. One of the most beautiful, and smartest dogs...
We had a visitor who admired him and offered to buy him, we declined. Three weeks later he went missing, and was never found. We suspected the local who wanted to buy him, told the sheriff, sheriff went to his house, no dog seen.
Dog thieves...should be jailed. Our dog was worth nothing in terms of money, but was one of the best we’ve ever had. After having him for a year and a half, he was gone forever.
Dgo people are sooooooooooo *cool*! Thanks for the great story!
A great Merry Christmas animal story! :)=^..^=
What a joyous return! I hope he regains his health.
Am so happy for her and Willis. Praise the Lord.
Those dogs look very clumbersome.
Good story.
From Wikipedia:
They have several habits which could be considered disadvantages, including a constant shedding of its coat, snoring and the production of excessive drool.
Heck, that happens to all of us as we get older!
Glad to see that the dog made it home.
I love a happy ending!
Thank you Joe, I hope your Christmas was a good one!
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